Separation of Brood from Hen. 203 



to digest than meal, and, consequently, keeps up the warmth 

 much longer than soft food would. Intermediate meals 

 should he varied, and it is a good plan to try and change the 

 food as much as possible, as by this means the appetite is 

 tempted and growth encouraged. A bad feeder can never bo 

 anything but a bad thriver, and, change of diet by tempting 

 the appetite, is the best method of inducing the birds to eat 

 heartily. Overfeeding must, however, be carefully avoided, 

 and food should be removed as soon as the birds are satisfied, 

 never being allowed to stand about. 



When the chicks are about six to eight weeks old, the hen 

 will begin to get restless and neglect them, when she should 

 at once be returned to the laying house, and the chicks then 

 put into a separate house and run. If the weather is at all 

 cold or stormy, cold mothers may be provided, or, if not, 

 broad shelves covered with dry sand or earth will answer best. 

 These cold mothers are simply wooden frames across which 

 canvas is stretched, and on the underside of this canvas, strips 

 of flannel, or thin felt, is stitched, so that when raised up or 

 fitted into grooved ends, the chickens get under and are 

 protected from the cold. Generally, however, there is no need 

 for anything of this kind, as the hen remains long enough 

 with her brood, to enable them to do without further pro- 

 tection ; but, as we stated at the beginning of this chapter, 

 care and attention are specially necessary at this stage of 

 a chicken's existence ; it is better to be on the safe side, 

 and, as there is no artificial heat in a mother such as we 

 have described, there the birds are not coddled by the use 

 of it. Plenty of room should also be given, and we prefer, 

 whenever possible, to divide our chickens, which can easily be 

 done by means of the movable poultry-houses, recommended 

 in the chapter dealing with the subject. The older chicks are 

 very prone to ill-treat the younger ones, and it is for the sake 

 of these latter, as well as to prevent overcrowding, that wc 



